About Author Solutions
Author Solutions is a company based in Bloomington (United States) founded in 2007, and was acquired by Penguin Random House in July 2012. Self-publishing services are provided through imprints like AuthorHouse and iUniverse. Author Solutions has raised $35 million across 4 funding rounds from investors including Penguin Random House and Bertram Capital. The company has 182 employees. Author Solutions has completed 2 acquisitions, including Xlibris and iUniverse. Author Solutions offers products and services including Self-Publishing Services and Imprints and Partnerships. Its legal entity is Author Solutions, Inc.
Company details
Author Solutions was founded in 2007 in Bloomington, United States, as a parent company for AuthorHouse and later acquired iUniverse. Operations focus on the self-publishing sector, with additional imprints including Palibrio, Trafford Publishing, and Xlibris. Services encompass book publishing, promotion, and market distribution for authors. More than 200,000 authors have been supported in producing over 250,000 titles. Ownership shifted from Bertram Capital to Penguin Group in 2012 for 116 million.
- Headquarters Bloomington, United States
- Employees 182
- Stage Acquired
- Website category Business and Consumer Services · Publishing and Printing
- Email••••••••
- Website authorsolutions.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Penguin Random House (Jul 2012)
- Legal Name Author Solutions, Inc
- Total Equity Funding$35M (USD)
in 4 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$2M (USD), Series B
Jul 2009
- InvestorsPenguin Random House
& 1 more
- Employee Count182
- Investments & AcquisitionsXlibris
& 1 more
- Acquired by
Products & Services of Author Solutions
Author Solutions offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Self-Publishing Services and Imprints and Partnerships.
Self-publishing services are provided to authors for book development and distribution through technology and alliances.
Imprints and partnerships are offered for wider book access and retail connections across multiple countries.
Funding Insights of Author Solutions
Author Solutions has successfully raised a total of $35M across 4 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $2 million completed in July 2009. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $35M
- Total Rounds 4
- Last Round Series B — $2M
- First Round $28M
(Jan 2009)
All 4 funding rounds of Author Solutions with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2009 | $2M | Series B | – | – | – |
| Jul 2009 | $4M | Series B | – | – | – |
| Apr 2009 | $1M | Series B | – | – | – |
| Jan 2009 | $28M | Series B | – | – | – |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in Author Solutions
Author Solutions has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Penguin Random House and Bertram Capital.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bertram Capital is focused on private equity investments in lower middle-market companies. | 2006 | bcap.com | Foster City, United States | |
Books for children and adults are published and distributed worldwide. | 1927 | penguinrandomhouse.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for Author Solutions
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Author Solutions
21 people are tracked at Author Solutions (9 in leadership, 12 in team); the tracked headcount is 182.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Bill Becher | COO | Leadership |
Matthew Graphman | Vice President Of Global Information Technology | Leadership |
Merrell Rio | AVP, Operations & General Manager, Cebu | Leadership |
Frank McNeely | Sales Director | Leadership |
Matt Temple | Director, Marketing Sales Operations And Training | Leadership |
Elmer Ho | Associate Vice President Sales | Leadership |
Jim Ruperto | Sales Director | Leadership |
Larry Smith | President, Six-Word Memoirs | Leadership |
Roy Galbraith | Vice President Of Sales, US And Domestic | Leadership |
Jim Astleford | Senior Accountant | Team |
Chris Pheifer | Sr. Manager, IT Infrastructure | Team |
Jane Ybañez | Marketing Lead Distribution Asst. Manager | Team |
Bernard Dublado | Senior Manager - Sales Analytics (financial Planning & Analysis) | Team |
Brandon Taylor | Video Producer And Editor | Team |
Scott Walters | Manager, Products & Events | Team |
Vanessa Marzo | Manager | Team |
Christy May | Human Resources Manager | Team |
Kacey Riley | Distribution Services Manager | Team |
Bobby Payot | Senior Finance Analyst | Team |
Melissa Bauer | General Counsel | Team |
1 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Author Solutions
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by Author Solutions
Author Solutions has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include Xlibris and iUniverse.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Self-publishing services and editorial support are provided to authors. | xlibris.com | Bloomington, United States | 1997 | Jan 2009 | •••• | |
Online accounting services are provided for businesses and professionals. | iuniverse.com | Indianapolis, United States | 1999 | Sep 2007 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Author Solutions
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Author Solutions
7 dated milestones of Author Solutions across 5 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Author Solutions is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Bertram Capital.
- Acquisition Acquires iUniverse.
- Acquisition Acquires Xlibris.
- Funding First funding round of $28.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $2.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Penguin Random House.
Web traffic of Author Solutions
The website of Author Solutions (authorsolutions.com) receives about 3.8K visits a month and ranks #4,361,967 among all websites worldwide, #7,876 in Publishing and Printing.
- Monthly visits3.8K
▼ 2.1% vs previous month
- Unique visitors1.6K
per month
- Global rank#4,361,967
among all websites
- Category rank#7,876
Business and Consumer Services · Publishing and Printing
- Bounce rate39%
- Pages per visit1.9
- Average visit24 sec
- DevicesDesktop 41% · Mobile 60%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Author Solutions. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| createspace.com | 100% | View details | |||
| authorhouse.com | 81% | 45.5K | #608,471 | View details | |
theworldsgreatestbook.com | theworldsgreatestbook.com | 80% | – | ||
selfpublishing.com | selfpublishing.com | 80% | #204,737 | – | |
| iuniverse.com | 77% | 27.4K | #946,640 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 15 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Author Solutions
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- 15 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Author Solutions
Author Solutions was founded in 2007 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.
Author Solutions is headquartered in Bloomington, United States. It is registered at Bloomington, Indiana, United States.
Author Solutions is a funded company, having raised a total of $35M across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $28M, raised on Jan 2009.
Author Solutions has 182 employees.
Author Solutions was founded in 2007 in Bloomington, United States, as a parent company for AuthorHouse and later acquired iUniverse. Operations focus on the self-publishing sector, with additional imprints including Palibrio, Trafford Publishing, and Xlibris. Services encompass book publishing, promotion, and market distribution for authors. More than 200,000 authors have been supported in producing over 250,000 titles. Ownership shifted from Bertram Capital to Penguin Group in 2012 for 116 million.
Author Solutions offers Self-Publishing Services and Imprints and Partnerships.
Author Solutions has 2 investors. Key investors include Penguin Random House, and Bertram Capital.
Author Solutions operates through Author Solutions, Inc.
Yes. Author Solutions was acquired by Penguin Random House in July 2012.